Sunday, March 6, 2011

VK-NARDEP : January 2011 Newsletter Published

Vivekananda Kendra-NARDEP Newsletter each month brings you not just VK-NARDEP monthly activities but also many aspects of Environmental philosophy behind our work. This month also the newsletter provides you wonderful amalgamation of eco-phlosophy and eco-actionalong.

February sees Darwin's birthday. Here Russian philosopher and biologist Peter Kroptokin shows how to understand evolution in a holistic manner. We present an excerpt from his famous lecture on 'Mutual Aid' and not competition as the basis of evolution.

We talk of sustainable development. What is it that makes a technology sustainable? Taking construction technology as an example we explore the idea of embedded energy and see how it can be used as a criterion for estimating how much sustainable a technology is. Do not miss the table of embedded energy for various building components given here.

A Varma workshop for Siddha physicians and students held at Vivekananda Kendra, Azolla training, a 100 Cubic meter bio-methanation plant constructed at PSG college Coimbatore and many other interesting events that happened last month at VK-nardep are presented for your view.

It is called Indian Jinseng. It is a herbal plant that has a great market potential. Its Sanskrit name is Aswagandha and Tamil name is Amukkra. Its botanicalname is Vitania sominifera. How to cultivate it in your own backyard as both a cash crop and also a medical herb for home use? Vk-nardep has published a book on this herbal plant as part of its efforts to conserve the indigenous medical knowledge. This newsletter gives a review of that book.

Visions of wisdom from J.C.Kumarappa on how to evolve institutions that have permanance. He says: In studying human institutions we should never lose sight of that great teacher, mother Nature. J.C.Bose the famous Indian scientist speaks of an indigenous understanding of science where intuition and meditation are held in concordance in the understanding of truth. He points out that in India this burning imaginationextract new order out of a mass of apparently contradictory facts, is also held in check by the habit of meditation. Carl Sagan speaks of how it is the birthright of every child to encounter the cosmos anew in every culture in every age.

On the whole this newsletter has for you eco-vision and action that we are sure you will all cherish.